Lenovo Modern Data Centers | JK Tech
New research from Lenovo highlights the urgent need for data centers to evolve in response to rising AI, sustainability, and compliance demands. The Data Center of the Future study, conducted with Opinium, reveals that nearly half (46%) of IT leaders say their current infrastructure fails to meet energy or carbon-reduction goals, while 90% expect AI to significantly increase data usage — yet only 41% are prepared to integrate it efficiently. With 99% of IT and C-level executives prioritizing data sovereignty to manage where and how data is stored and processed, the findings underscore a growing gap between digital ambition and infrastructure capability. Lenovo’s research offers a blueprint for future-ready, sustainable, and high-performance data center design across EMEA.
Bridging the Sustainability Gap Demands a New Approach
While 92% of IT decision-makers now prioritize technology partners focused on reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, only 46% report that their current data center designs align with sustainability goals. This disconnects highlights mounting environmental pressures driven by AI, automation, and surging data volumes — as traditional air-cooling systems struggle to deliver the efficiency, cost savings, and carbon reductions modern operations require.
Data Sovereignty Emerges as a Defining Priority
While 92% of IT decision-makers now prioritize technology partners focused on reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, only 46% report that their current data center designs align with sustainability goals. This disconnects highlights mounting environmental pressures driven by AI, automation, and surging data volumes — as traditional air-cooling systems struggle to deliver the efficiency, cost savings, and carbon reductions modern operations require.
AI Scalability Shaping the Future of Data Centers
90% of IT leaders anticipate a major surge in data usage driven by AI over the next decade, with 62% citing AI and automation as the top influences on IT strategy. Yet, 41% acknowledge their organizations aren’t fully prepared to integrate AI effectively. According to Simone Larsson, Head to Enterprise AI, EMEA at Lenovo, the data center of the future will hinge on its ability to scale AI workloads sustainably and efficiently. As compute demand grows, businesses will seek infrastructure partners that deliver high performance while minimizing environmental impact. In EMEA, data sovereignty remains a pressing concern, requiring organizations to align infrastructure with evolving regulations and future-ready strategies today.
Designing the Data Center of 2025
Lenovo, in collaboration with engineering firm AKT II and architects Mamou-Mani, envisions how data centers could evolve over the next 30 years as digital reliance and energy demands surge. The future concepts reimagine the traditional rack server model with advanced water-cooling systems and innovative use of natural environments, repurposed spaces, and unconventional locations to enhance sustainability and efficiency.
- The Floating Cloud
- A futuristic airborne data center suspended 20 ~ 30km above ground — beyond commercial flight paths — powered continuously by solar energy and cooled through pressurized closed-loop liquid systems to eliminate emissions. Modular design enables feasible, distributed deployment in the atmosphere.
- The Data Village
- Built along rivers or canals, this modular, stackable pod network connects directly to urban infrastructure. Using liquid cooling and waste heat recovery, it can supply energy to schools or homes, while reducing latency through priximity to population centers. An extended Data Spa variant integrates geothermal power and natural landscapes for a low-visibility, eco-integrated facility.
- The Data Center Bunker
- This model repurposes abandoned tunnels, bunkers, or transport systems to create underground data centers that conserve land, improve thermal efficiency, and enhance physical security — all while supporting central, resilient, and low-impact operations.
Liquid Cooling: The Foundation of Sustainable Data Center Design
All future data center concepts center around liquid cooling technology, a critical innovation for managing heat more efficiently than traditional air cooling. By significantly reducing energy consumption, liquid cooling enhances both performance and sustainability, making it an essential component of next-generation infrastructure.
“As architects and engineers, our mission is to make data centers smarter — not just larger,” said James Cheung, Partner at Mamou-Mani, “The Data Center of the Future project bridges evolving business needs with practical solutions, from transforming disused mines and bunkers to developing high-altitude cloud modules, urban data villages, and geothermal-powered data spas that reuse server heat for public benefit. Leveraging Lenovo’s advanced liquid cooling technology, we demonstrate how natural resources and existing environments can curt overheads and return energy to communities. While we can’t predict the future with certainty, this initiative offers a clear roadmap to turn visionary concepts into viable, low-risk pilots.”
Lenovo Neptune: Engineering Sustainability into the Core of Future Data Centers
To meet rising compute demands and stringent sustainability standards, organizations must start modernizing their infr — removing astructure now. Lenovo Neptune™ liquid cooling provides a proven path forward — removing up to 98% of system heat directly at the source while drastically reducing energy consumption and dependence on traditional air cooling. As AI and data-intensive workloads grow, Neptune enables a future-ready foundation that delivers high performance without compromising environmental responsibility.
“Lenovo is dedicated to building smarter, more sustainable infrastructure at scale,” said Simone Larsson, Head of Enterprise AI, EMEA at Lenovo. “With Neptune liquid cooling, we’re already empowering customers to meet the soaring energy demands of AI with solutions that are efficient, scalable, and ready for immediate deployment. The data center of the future begins with engineering sustainability into its design — not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental principle.”
About the Study & AI Transparency
The Data Center of the Future study was commissioned by Lenovo and conducted by Opinium, surveying 250 IT decision-makers from organizations with over 250 employees across Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the UK, and the UAE. The research, carried out in August 2025, explores how businesses plan to evolve their data center strategies amid growing demands for AI performance and sustainability.
Some visuals in this project were created or enhanced using AI tools, such as Midjourney, to support conceptual exploration and visual storytelling. These AI-generated elements are used solely for illustration, while all architectural concepts, spatial planning, and design intent were entirely conceived and developed by the human design team.
How JK Tech Helps
As a trusted Lenovo partner, JKTech helps organizations modernize their IT and data center operations with sustainable, high-performance solutions. From deploying Lenovo Neptune luquid-cooled infrastructure for efficient AI workloads to providing flexible laptop rentals and comprehensive IT maintenance, JKTech ensures clients can scale efficiently, meet data sovereignty and sustainability goals, and maintain reliable, future-ready technology —all while reducing costs an operational complexity.
Further Reading & Resources
https://news.lenovo.com/pressroom/press-releases/datacenter-of-the-future-emea-research/ – Lenovo Newsroom
Published by JK Tech – Official Lenovo Partner in Singapore
Source: Lenovo Group Limited
